Ultimate Potential
by ChilledSparksurfer
Summary: In a strange twist, Goku is absorbed by Super Buu. Now, if Gohan and Vegeta hope to have any chance at winning, they must use the Potara Earrings to fuse. With the incredible power and intelligence of Gohan, and the fighting experience of Vegeta to back it up, how will this new warrior deal with Majin Buu? Meet Vegehan, the fighter with ultimate potential! (SHORT STORY)


Majin Buu quivered against the base of the cliff. His cape fell flaccidly behind him, and his shoulderpads depressed with the fear that set in. Above him, two rays of burning golden light and one white, pure in color and rage, all bore down on him with murderous intent. The trio of Saiyans hovered above him, all powered up into their highest states. There was a gap so immeasurable between himself and the combined might of the warriors before him that he could feel his muscles seize with the dread that rapidly coursed through him.

"Looks like you're mostly Piccolo now," Goku said with a satisfied smirk. "Even with the power of Goten and Trunks combined, there's no beating us now."

Vegeta, having only just arrived moments after the monster reverted to a lesser state, laughed at the cowardice he displayed. Particularly, how he seemed to be clinging to the mountain behind him, as if it was supposed to save him or protect him. "How pathetic! To think you caused us so much trouble before."

Gohan took a fighting stance and aimed a lethal glare at Buu that nearly cut through his body. His voice was deep, filled with regret and rage as he looked down at the monster wearing his mentor's clothes. "Even with Piccolo's brain, you're still nothing but a dumb bastard. You're gonna pay for everything you've done, Buu."

_Dammit…_ thought Buu as the Saiyans continued to look down on him. Their combined energies felt like supernovas exploding in front of him. He nearly had to shield his eyes from the blinding light their auras gave off. It was when he met the glare of the young warrior whose brothers he stole, that the creature's life flashed before his eyes. Everything, from his control under Babidi, to all of the people he's killed and absorbed.

_Hold on…_ he began to think to himself, pulling from the vast knowledge the former guardian he held captive possessed. _There has to be a way I can absorb one of them… Vegeta won't do. He may be vicious, but his power is nothing compared to Gohan and Goku. Now Gohan would be interesting… to have all of that raw power at my disposal. Combined with the genius of Piccolo, there's nothing Vegeta or Goku would be able to do! _

His plan began to come together. But he knew the Saiyans were more than on their guard. If he were to do this, it would have to be quiet and discreet. He was going to need time.

"Tell me," said Buu suddenly, "are you three really prepared to kill me? You _do_ know you would be killing your friends and family too, don't you? Can you really say you would kill your sons? Your brother? Your mentor?"

"What the hell are blabbing on about?" barked Vegeta.

Gohan's expression tightened as he attempted to conceal his rising worry. His nails began to dig into his fist like small knives. "He means Piccolo, Goten, and Trunks are all still alive in him. It's true, if we kill him, then we kill them, too. But I know a way around it. I'll just beat you until you can't keep them captive any longer."

"As brutal as it sounds, I doubt he's going to give them up lightly," Goku admitted, not entirely used to seeing this merciless side of his son. "This might actually be our only option."

Vegeta cracked his knuckles as his lips curled with an excited smirk. "Well, that's just fine by me. You can sit this out if you'd like to, Kakarot. You too, Gohan. I've got some unfinished business with him."

While the Saiyans prepared themselves, Buu had been putting a plan of his own in motion. His desperate clinging to the mountain behind him allowed him to release a small portion of himself that traveled up the back of his arms, and down his back and legs until it could safely disperse in all directions. There were nearly a hundred pieces of him surrounding the area by now, all itching to lash out at the Saiyans.

Buu looked up. Gohan and Vegeta made a mad dash at him, ki swelling higher than it ever had before. He couldn't help but smile as now he would not only obtain the unsurpassable might of Gohan, but the killer instinct of Vegeta as well.

"This is for making me send myself into a cold oblivion!"

"It all ends here for you, Majin Buu!"

Goku could sense a disturbance in the area. It was as if uncertainty was surrounding them. His instincts screamed at him, but for what reason was unknown. All he knew was that he had to get Gohan and Vegeta out of there. His body seemed to move on its own out of a desire, or an instinct, to protect them. Before he could even realize what happened, he found himself in front of the two, having jumped there with his Instant Transmission. Behind them, he could see a large wave of pink death cascade over the sky. With no time to explain, Goku grabbed the two. He knew with the stress of Super Saiyan 3, he wouldn't be able to do another Instant Transmission so quickly. Not even powering down to his base form would save him now, as it would have just resulted in exhaustion. In this moment, Goku did the only thing he could think to do. He took his son by the waist of his belt, and grabbed Vegeta by his collar, and threw them both to safety.

Gohan and Vegeta fell to the ground, only able to watch in horror as the mass of the monster consumed Goku. Even Buu was shocked to see the outcome of the situation, but he knew he had to take what he could get for the moment. The amorphous piece of him returned to his body, and his form began to change. Slowly, the cape that was presented with the dominant half of Piccolo retracted, and was exchanged for the Saiyan's outfit. His antennae extended to compensate for the absurd length of Goku's hair upon absorption. Not only that, but his power surged with a great intensity. And it somehow continued to grow.

Gohan rammed his fist against the ground in both frustration and guilt. "Dammit, no! Not again! It happened again!" he cried as he cursed himself. But the boy hardly had any time to grieve. The monster's rising power did away with any form of sadness and despair he felt, and brought him back to face the reality of the situation. There was something particular in the way the monster's power level rose that felt oddly familiar to the boy. A certain intensity, coupled with a calmness that reminded him of Piccolo could be felt in Majin Buu's energy. "This is bad, Vegeta. You may not know this, but my father discovered a level called—"

"Super Saiyan Three," the prince finished with a brash tone. "Trust me, I know all about that damn transformation. I sensed it during his fight with one of Babidi's monsters. That bastard hid it from me during our fight."

"This isn't the time to be thinking about your fight," he reminded the proud man. "I think Majin Buu's trying to use Piccolo's brain to figure out how to eliminate the strain from my dad's Super Saiyan Three form. I wouldn't put it past him to succeed if that's what he's actually trying to do. If he masters that transformation, there's no way we'll be able to defeat him."

Vegeta fell silent for a moment, appearing to be struggling with something that was just on the tip of his tongue. His mouth wanted to remain wired shut, completely rejecting what he was about to say. But in his heart, as he watched the monster take his rival's form, he knew it was the truth. "You're right. I hate to admit it, but Kakarot's always had the edge over me. And then… to suffer the humiliation of his son surpassing me. I never thought I would fight again, not until he showed back up at the tournament. Then Babidi and Majin Buu appeared, and now everyone's gone."

Gohan rose from the ground and stood with Vegeta. The two watched helplessly as Majin Buu's power continued to rise. "Damn… if only we'd all blasted him right there instead of rushing in. Better yet, if we had that other earring, we could fuse and beat this guy quick."

"Earring? Fuse? What the hell are you talking about?" Vegeta questioned.

As Gohan prepared to explain, he felt something strange in his waist. Just underneath his belt, he dug his fingers down in between and grazed over a spherical object. He fished his entire hand in and pulled out, to his shock, a Potara Earring. _What? But how?_ His hand immediately dug into his pocket to pull out the other earring he retrieved earlier, just to make sure it hadn't somehow wound up in his belt. But there was no doubt about it. He now possessed both of the Potara Earrings. With little time left before the monster's transformation was complete, he turned to Vegeta and practically shoved it into his hand. "Vegeta, quick. I need you to put that on your right ear. If you do that, we'll fuse and be able to take him down!"

Vegeta glared at the young warrior with more confusion than anything else. "You can't be serious. What the hell would ever make you think I'd fuse with you?!"

"It's the only hope we have, Vegeta," he argued. "With Piccolo's mind and my dad's power and fighting skills, there's no way we can defeat him as we are right now. Not even if we both hit him with everything we've got. He'd just regenerate and kill us. I'm sorry, but we _have_ to do this, Vegeta."

The prince turned away at the mention of his previous admission. But it was as he had realized earlier. He knew from the moment Kakarot fell victim to the beast's absorption that they were doomed. And as Majin Buu's energy rose, he could feel Gohan's theory beginning to become a fact. "Damn it all! Fine, how do we do this?!"

"We don't have much time," said Gohan as he braced himself before viciously stabbing the earring through his unpierced, but now very pierced and very bloody earlobe. "Come on, Vegeta. We've got to do this. Its now or never."

"How are you so sure this is going to work?"

Gohan froze as he realized there was no proof that their fusion would be more powerful than Majin Buu, nor did he even know if the earrings would work. But there was something he was certain of. "My dad was pretty confident that this would work, and if he was willing to throw life as he knew it away to fuse with his own son, then I trust him."

Vegeta scoffed at the boy. He knew he wasn't getting the whole story. Something about that statement, perhaps the mention of throwing away life as they knew it, made him ask, "So, how long do we stay fused? Will we separate right after we defeat the monster, or is there some sort of time limit?"

The boy fell silent again, which told the prince all he needed to know.

"So… its permanent, huh?" Vegeta surmised by Gohan's silence. "No matter, we'll just use the Dragon Balls to separate after."

Gohan suddenly lit up a bit, surprised he hadn't thought of that before. "Oh! I mean, that could definitely work. I don't see why it wouldn't."

Vegeta drove the earring through his earlobe and took one last glare up at the monster as he finished his transformation. "I swear, I'll destroy you, you big balloon bastard!"

Gohan took the opportunity to get one last look at Majin Buu as well. "You're gonna get what's coming to you, Buu. I hope you're ready."

Up above, the pink monster's body finally settled. His frame was far more muscular than before, and his facial features were more pronounced. That silly, god-awful cape he wore had been replaced with an orange martial arts gi that was almost as bright as the vigorous power that flowed through him. He could feel his ki, fortified hundreds of times over compared to his previous level of power.

"Yes, this is magnificent!" Majin Buu remarked as he flexed his new, developed muscles. He whipped his antennae back. Even longer before, it cracked against the mountain and reduced it to rubble within seconds, much to the monster's satisfaction. His gratified, maniacal laugh echoed throughout the wastelands, sending chills down the spines of Mr. Satan and Dende.

"What's going on?!" the World Martial Arts Champion gawked in the general direction of the fight.

Dende confirmed Mr. Satan's concerns with a hesitant nod. "Yes, he's absorbed Goku, which had made his power multiply exponentially. But… I'm sensing something else, too. Something else is happening over there."

Buu could sense the very same thing, coming from a strange light being emitted just a few meters away from him. It was the same spot where he remembered the two Saiyans being thrown after Goku foolishly saved them. Yet this power felt nothing like Gohan and Vegeta. The energy signature was completely new and unique, one unlike he had never sensed before. Its power was off the charts, and it just kept rising as something began to take shape deep within. The form of a body became noticeable, and caused a sudden reaction within the creature. "N- No… It can't be. Did they fuse?"

Just as the monster posed that question, the light faded, and a new warrior emerged. He stood tall, almost as tall as Gohan once did. Striking, stark black hair with a somewhat reddish-brown tint to it, stood similar to Vegeta's but possessed even more spikes than before, if that were thought to be possible. A Saiyan's hair was naturally wild, as Buu pulled from Goku's memories of a conversation with Vegeta. His clothes seemed to be a mix of both warriors', possessing Gohan's outfit and even keeping the same undershirt and belt the boy had on. But the gi and pants he wore were a few shades brighter than navy blue, much like Vegeta's battle suit. He heard the trot of his white, red-striped boots hit the ground as he ran in place to test his new legs out. The scrunch of his white, fingerless gloves as he clenched his fists hit Buu's ears, reminding him of Vegeta.

"Well, congratulations!" cheered Buu as he float menacingly above him. "Seems as if you two joined together. However, I'm afraid-"

"Could you give us a second?" the warrior requested. "We need to come up with a name."

"... Excuse me?"

"Well, I can't just run around without a name. Then who are you gonna say beat your ass when you get to Hell? So, let me think…"

Majin Buu chuckled at the man's confidence. "Oh, that's rich! You think you're the one that's going to walk away from this alive?"

"Let's see…" the man mumbled as he pondered what to call himself. "Hmmm… Vehan? Nah, that sounds weird. Gogeta doesn't sound half bad, but that doesn't feel like it honors Gohan that much. Guess I could go with Vegehan. That doesn't sound _too_ odd."

"What an awful name," Buu expressed.

Vegehan cracked his neck and began to limber his body up with a few stretches. "Let's see how much you hate my name after I kill you."

Buu cackled once more and decided to put the new warrior in his place. He unleashed the full, mastered power of Goku's Super Saiyan 3 form. Done so by borrowing energy from the resilient Piccolo and by redirecting the strain through the Namekian's durable life force, his body was able to channel the full extent of the form's power without any stress. He managed to not only close the gap between him and his power when Gotenks was absorbed, but even surpassed it by quite a bit. His aura flared to life, and bioelectricity struck the ground beneath him. Even the clouds that were once blown away, returned and began to swirl with a brewing storm. Shadows loomed over the landscape, setting the battlefield with a dark tone.

A small smile painted itself across the fused warrior's lips in the face of the monster's power. It was, indeed, higher than anything he was capable of before. But compared to his own power currently coursing through him, this was laughable. "Is that all you've got? I was expecting more."

Majin Buu smirked at the man's observation. "Believe me, there will be more. Perhaps its Goku's being incorporated into my own, but I'm rather excited for our fight."

Vegehan's smile disappeared as he looked at the monster's face and was briefly reminded of Goku, always smiling at a challenge. "You're a vile, evil creature, Majin Buu. This battle was decided the moment you took Kakarot. You don't know the hell you're in for."

With nothing left to say, the two warriors slid down into their stances. Majin Buu took a rather familiar stance that Goku had taken the first time he fought Vegeta. Vegehan could barely stomach to look at the monster, seeing more of the man than he wanted to admit. Before the fight began, he quickly scanned the area with his ki sense. The detection of two power levels far off in the distance, warm and familiar, brought the smile back to his face. _Thank goodness, Dende and Mister Satan are safe. As long as they're alive, I can put Buu into submission. If I spread ki throughout his body to locate where everyone is, I should be able to find a way to get them out. Then, we can use the Dragon Balls to set everything right and end this nightmare._

"Your nightmare has only just begun," announced the pink creature with a knowing grin.

A small bead of sweat trickled down Vegehan's head as he instantly caught on. _Reading minds is dirty business, Majin Buu,_ he thought to himself. Just as he predicted, Majin Buu responded to him with telepathy.

_A technique from both Kami and Piccolo. It's quite useful, isn't it? I've been reading your mind ever since you appeared. I know every single outcome you've considered, and if I draw more from the four I've absorbed, I can predict your every move before you even make it. _

Much to the monster's surprise, Vegehan smiled at situation. "Well then, if you've read my mind, then that means you should know just how outmatched you are. Guess that saves me the trouble of having to transform. But I guess I could annihilate you in my base form without that much trouble."

"You're forgetting something. If you kill me, then you kill your friends. What of your brother and son? And your poor father is already dead. I can't imagine what happens to someone when they're destroyed in death. Since I know your plan, I won't let you carry that out nor anything of the sort. And what's even more, I can survive in the vacuum of space. All I have to do is blow up this planet and I can be rid of you in an instant!"

Vegehan ignored Buu's monologue and had taken to throwing a few punches to test his strength. His face maintained his smile from earlier as he was pleased to not only feel, but see the force rocketing off his fists like lightspeed pistons. Once he switched to kicks, his legs flew and swung with such precision, making the strikes crack like whips. The immense battle power that coursed through his veins felt endless. "This is remarkable. I didn't know this height of power existed!"

Majin Buu looked on at the warrior in confusion, but with a hint of annoyance at his intentional dismissal. "I don't think you realize the gravity of the situati-"

A shockwave launched from a roundhouse kick obliterated the monster's head. Pink globs went flying, but quickly pulled themselves back together. They reshaped back to reveal his face, burning with rage. "Wh- Why you…!"

"You talk too much," Vegehan told him. "If you really think you can destroy this planet, then by all means. I would love to see you try."

Majin Buu felt steam billow out of his pores as his anger rose. "Fine, then so be it!"

What first started off as a small orb in the monster's hand quickly grew into a massive star. It swelled and swirled with an ominous electricity crackling around it. There was enough energy in it to blow up the planet ten times over. Without any warning other than a brief smile on the monster's face, he launched the planet busting orb. It barreled down at the wastelands, closing in on the fused warrior. Trees, rocks, and everything else around him disintegrated as they were pulled in by the all-encompassing blast.

But Vegehan stood tall and firm in the face of destruction. He thrusted his hands forward, preparing to do what appeared to be a Kamehameha. But his index and middle fingers were extended, reminiscent to Vegeta's Final Impact. Bolts began to spark between the warrior's fingers as he cupped his hands back. They built up, dancing around a sphere of culminating energy. As the destructive blast grew closer, Vegehan fired. "Atomic Kamehameha!" he roared, unleashing a devastating blue blast with bolts of energy that struck Majin Buu's blast. The massive orb was brought to stand still, much to the monster's chagrin.

Majin Buu roared as he pumped as much power he possibly could into the blast, only to be quickly overwhelmed. It shattered and gave way to a powerful electrical beam that swallowed him whole. There was nothing he could do. His body was obliterated upon impact, and pieces of him scattered across the land.

Vegehan turned his nose up in disgust at the monster. "You're a disgrace. Pull yourself together! All of that power and you can't even use it properly. You're still the same fool you were before you absorbed Piccolo!"

The many parts of Majin Buu that had been spread over the wastelands began to react at the warrior's brazen words. In an instant, they launched themselves, lunging at Vegehan. Coming from all directions, they joined together and before the warrior knew it, his vision was overtaken by the same pink his friends and family saw. "Dammit!" he cried as he attempted to release an explosive wave, but to no avail.

Majin Buu reformed himself just a few feet away and chuckled at the sight of the warrior fighting in vain to free himself. "Well, well, well, seems those earrings brought out the worst in you! How does it feel to fail for a second time?!"

As Vegehan felt his body constrict underneath the converging pieces of Majin Buu's body, he knew this was it. There was no fighting it anymore, but at least what little fight he actually did put up probably convinced the creature that he had gotten the best of him. _That fool. Anyone could see that attack coming from a mile away. Now I can infiltrate his body and get everyone out. Then there won't be anything stopping me from sending him straight to Hell where he belongs!_


End file.
